Andrea, a 44-year-old Washington County mother is “not asking for sympathy,” she said as talks to keep the federal government open past Wednesday — and her health insurance intact — teetered 240 miles away at the U.S. Capitol.

“I manage. But health care should be affordable and accessible to the average person,” she said.

Andrea — who asked that her last name not be used, partly because of a feared backlash in even seeming to take a stand in today’s politically charged environment — manages a beer distributor and pays $190 a month for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, also commonly called Obamacare. Her employer doesn’t offer health insurance.

With the breakdown in talks to avert a government pause in operations over continuing the subsidies that bring the price of the

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